What age did you start making your own Christmas dinner?

[JudasPrudy]

Ever since time began, I and the rest of my family have visited my grandparents house for Christmas dinner. DH is starting to make noises about staying home this year and to be honest I can see his point - I'm 33 and we have a 1 year old son! It just feels so wrong not to go 'home' for Christmas (although I can and will visit after dinner as they only live 30 mins away.)

When did you start cooking your own Christmas dinner? Should I start being a proper adult now at last

25

I left home at 19 and have cooked my own and my families Christmas dinner ever since (I'm 46 now)

I started not going home when I was 20, and since then we have done a variety of things. Ds is 12 and he's had christmas dinner at my parents maybe 4 times I guess (mum has severe dementia now), and we've never been to the PIL on christmas day as MIL always did a big boxing day thing.

I would have been 12. DM wasn't long out of hospital so I made us (me, DM, DBthen13) a Christmas dinner which was just a roast with extras

34 and never cooked one. Dp has done it though, for the last 10 years (so he would have been 31?).
Dp is a feeder, loves cooking and entertaining (I love eating and entertaining so we balance out!) and we usually have between 20-25 people for Christmas dinner. He refuses all offers of help and I have no idea how he manages to sit down to an elaborate feast of Henry VIII proportions without wanting to murder every single one of us - I suspect the couple of glasses of wine he usually quaffs alongside cooking it helps!
I have never cooked a roast - not for want of offering. I cook sometimes but he does most of it.
I do say to him that he should give me some tips because I want to eat well once he’s 6ft under

24, my first year with dh. We invited both sets of parents and siblings to our tiny house and cooked for everyone. Had to eat off plates off knees as we didn’t have a dining table (actually, younger people were on the floor, not enough chairs either). It was fun.
The year after we went away on holiday over Christmas, also fun. And the year after we had a load of friends over. Never got started on the whole “MILs turn Mums turn” thing, which was one of our better life decisions if MN is anything to go by.

20, but then that's because I was kicked out of my family home. I've cooked it most years since, with a few years off when friends have cooked, I'm now 49. I'm pretty bored of cooking it tbh I get lazier and lazier each year with what I buy ready prepared.

First year I was married so 31. Have only had one Christmas away since (mainly as had a lot of children in short order!)

I hosted my first at 21 and have done it every year since, I'm 53 now.

I started cooking Christmas dinner for the family (i.e. still at my parents' home) when I was 16. My DM had cancer so me cooking took the pressure off her. My DF used to help me with the turkey (it was always a huge one) but I did everything else myself. I carried on cooking after my DM died for another 5 years or so until my DF sold the family home and bought a new house with his OH. My DF's OH isn't the best cook (I will mutter "Bisto Gravy Granules" and leave it at that) but I have learnt to keep my mouth shut and to smile sweetly as I say "that was lovely, thank you". But really I am itching to get in the kitchen and do all the cooking myself. Ironically I now host Christmas (I rent a cottage each Christmas near my DF) but my DF's OH insists on doing the cooking. It irks me but it took me a long time to rebuild my relationship with my DF after my DM died and 'who cooks Christmas dinner' isn't the hill I'm prepared to die on. So yay to sodding gravy granules again this year. (My late DGM will be turning in her grave - again - as she taught me how to make gravy from scratch - and cook/bake etc - from when I was young enough to have to stand on a chair to reach the kitchen worktop). But harmony with my DF comes first.

37. Last year was our first ever Xmas at home.

Same again this year (Was 8 months pregnant last year. Have 3 children how and the older ones will want to stay home!)

I was 19. The first Christmas in my own home.

I’ve cooked Christmas dinner every year since then (30 years) , although one year I cooked it at my Dads house.

19. We wanted to spend our first Christmas together after getting married and have never gone back 'home' since

We always said anyone was welcome to visit us and we have had MIL twice and my folks once

Erm, about 23 I think I started being part of the 'it's your turn this year' thing. Willingly!

Late teens, but we all mucked in.

I'm 28 and I've never done it. We are a really close knit family and we all like to get together on Christmas day. I don't ever host as I live in a small flat, there's just not enough room for everyone.

I always bring wine/dessert or whatever and help out with washing up but I never do the actual cooking.

I'm 36 and haven't done one yet, we alternate going to my parents or in-laws (DP is Kiwi and his Christmas dinner is a massive extended family with cousins, aunts, uncles, weird sister of an uncle-by-marriage and her depressed ex-catholic-priest husband who didn't have anywhere else to go, etc etc)

As soon as I had my first home I stared taking turns with my dgm so 21

At 22 I cooked Christmas dinner for my uni housemates & partners.
It is just a roast dinner at the end of the day.

Every year from age 21. Not had a Christmas day off from cooking for 18 years now.

I was 30-ish. Made it for DH and i. We have an odd set-up as i live in a different country to my parents, by the time i was 30 DMil was too sick to host and DH's siblings (has has many!) didn't want to host, understandably.

When i had ds i cooked xmas lunch for my mother who visited us for one month, DS was 2 weeks old when i made xmas lunch - well, two lunches as she is veggy so i made a separate dish for her. She complained about the food being insufficien, didn't help shop or prepare any of it, didn't wash anything up. Said my delia smith took hours to make-xmas cake was dry and tasted burnt. Totally ruined ds' and our first xmas, has never been invited back.

We hosted the in-laws two or three times since then but they are ungrateful sponges (and had such diverse dietary requirements that we were run ragged). So for the past 4 years or so we have been at home cooking what the frack we like and it has been MARVELLOUS ! We make something different every year, as long as there are pigs in blankets we are all happy

I was 22 when I made my first Christmas dinner. It was our first Christmas in our new house, so we had Christmas lunch at my mums and then I cooked Christmas dinner for the in laws on the evening 😂

We had Christmas dinner with just my Nan when I was 25 and I undercooked the turkey. Last year at 26 I managed to not almost poison my husband and I, so I’m calling last year a success 😂

I hosted the first year I was married, 23. Have had many variations over the years of hosting, being a guest, working or going on holiday. Being totally honest at 60 I now find it all rather tedious .

25, our first year of marriage. Cooked for us and the in-laws, was newly pregnant and couldn't face touching the meat .

Cooked it every year since for IL. Every boxing day we go to my parents and have another Christmas with my side and imo that's proper Christmas.

Started hosting when I was 23 and hosted ever since!